Please Bring Jesus Back To Mary's Arms

Putting the finishing touches on a mural of the Virgin in Kiev

A meme that has gone viral in Ukraine and elsewhere is that of the Virgin Mary cradling a Javelin anti-tank weapon in her arms, a deadly US weapon used to slaughter Russian forces. Mary wears a dark green robe, the color of a military uniform, and her halo reflects the green and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.

This image is now appearing everywhere on social media, on countless t-shirts and other apparel and is now prominently portrayed as a mural on a Kiev apartment building (above).

Is this a serious form of blasphemy or what? How can we justify replacing images of the Blessed Mother embracing her beloved child with one in which she is caressing a deadly killing machine? How can we ever claim to belong to a worldwide peace and pro-life movement while supporting the killing and maiming of our fellow human beings--even if they are our enemies?

Here are just a few of Jesus's own words against resisting evil with evil means:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:38-39, 43-44).

If we want to know what Jesus meant by those words, we have only to look at how he put them in practice in his own life, and how his early followers understood and practiced them (Matthew 10:23; 26:51-53; Luke 4:28-30; John 8:49; 10:39).

Kyrie Eleison. Lord, have mercy.